Even as a teenager, Flemming Rasmussen knew that his life plan was driven by music.

“When everybody else went out and bought mopeds, I bought a stereo,” the producer said via Skype
from his hometown of Copenhagen. “I would sit at home, editing stuff together on tape.”

Most of the time, anyway.

“Every time there was a party, I was always invited because I had the good music.”

The hobby ultimately developed into a lucrative career for Rasmussen, best-known for his
producer ties to the heavy-metal players of Rainbow, Blind Guardian and, most prominently,
Metallica — for whom he worked on three albums.

Today, Rasmussen, 56, will give the keynote speech and teach two free master classes open to the
public as part of the second annual Music Technology Workshop at Capital University.

The event, staged by the Bexley university’s music conservatory, aims to address industry topics
ranging from production to promotion.

Q: What do you make of the fact that heavy metal is now a subject of academic
study?

A: I think it’s great, and I’m proud that metal music is taken seriously.

It followed pretty well with the development of Metallica. It probably peaked and became totally
a household thing with the
Black Album (the group’s eponymous 1991 record) and helped a lot of bands to get some
recognition. It came gradually.

Q: Could you recall your early impressions of Metallica?

A: I hadn’t heard about Metallica before they came into the studio. I didn’t know who
(Danish-born drummer) Lars (Ulrich) was. I knew his dad; he was part of that jazz scene. (Other
producers) thought they couldn’t play — which, of course, they could. Just the speed was ridiculous
at times. And they’ve gotten quicker and quicker and better.

I remember when I played the first Metallica album for my friends, they didn’t get it: “What’s
that noise?”

Now, when I talk to the same people, they think it’s great and it’s a classic.

Q: What advice would you give someone looking to enter the technical side of the music
business?

A: My first thing: Don’t build a big studio. Get some good mics and do something you can travel
around with. You can always rent places.

If you have a physical studio, you actually use the recording rooms about

10 percent of the time. Most of the time, the musicians are in the control room.

Q: What did you learn from working with artists in other genres, such as folk and
pop?

A: I kind of decided to myself that I wouldn’t do the same album — two, three metal albums a
year, max. I diversified myself a bit. I recorded a lot of acoustic music to get into a different
vibe.

If you do the same kind of music, it’s possible you get better at it. But some albums by other
producers did the same thing over and over.

Q: What’s the greatest lesson from your work?

A: To use your ears and trust your instinct. If you sit back and feel that it’s not really good
enough, that’s probably because it ain’t.